Chapter Nine

Daisy ran, sprinting toward the dungeon floor, dragging air into her lungs and letting the high of adrenaline flood her system.

She wasn't afraid of him. Not in any way.

Well, not physically. Physically all he would do was make her ache before he gave her everything she wanted.

Her heart, though. Damn. Her heart was already his, and she wondered if it hadn't always been. He'd talked about the awkward girl she'd been and how she'd followed him around. She had. When she'd learned he was coming to Dallas, a part of her had wondered if it was their time.

He was here now, and he seemed to want her.

She was trouble, but she never meant for bad things to happen. She'd helped a lot of people with her misadventures. Her mother often talked about the world always trying to find balance. What if the universe had sent her a big Aussie hunk to balance out the bad stuff?

The fight with her family was sitting in her head, but for now she banished it because she was a sweet sub being chased by a brute of a man who was going to inevitably capture her and fuck her senseless. All she had to worry about right now was how many orgasms she would get and how much he would make her pay for each and every one.

As ploys to get her out of her own head went, he'd come up with a winner.

She found her way onto what was obviously the dungeon floor. If they'd been doing this at The Hideout, she would likely have already run out of running space, but Sanctum seemed massive and she was only on the second floor. She sprinted into the shadows. There were some lights on the floor tracing the paths around the scene spaces and stages. The lounge had been lit with low, sexy lighting. She hadn't appreciated it, nor had she truly taken in the surroundings. She'd simply been waiting for Nate to give her the go-ahead to head up to the apartment her uncle had explained he'd had built because some "fucker" always needed a place to stay.

Her uncle had a way with words.

Nate did, too.

I learned how to shove the beast that lives in me way down or I scare folks. But you bring it out.

The words had worked some magic on her. She'd never been the girl a guy was crazy about. Except for the stalker in college her da had talked to and explained Daisy wasn't interested in.

Her father had always been there for her. Would he still be?

And she always wondered what he'd said to Carl since the dude left all his classes to become a ski instructor. She was pretty sure he'd never skied before because he was from Mississippi.

Actually, now that she thought about it, no one heard from Carl again.

"This only ends one way, Daisy."

She needed to get her head into this ridiculously hot game of his. She wasn't thinking about anything but him tonight.

Nate thought they could work. Maybe it could. At least for a while.

Daisy found herself in one of the scene spaces. There was a big desk and some bookcases. Office play. It gave her a place to hide. She ducked under the desk as she felt the hardwoods under her move slightly.

He was so big, she could feel it when he was walking toward her.

Big and safe and gorgeous. And he was stalking her. He was a beast for her.

"You want to know how it ends?"

She was pretty sure it ended in her taking a massive Aussie cock and screaming out his name, and they might not even get around to dinner tonight.

"It ends with me inside you." His voice was low and slightly menacing in the twilight glow from the ground lights. "That's the way it's always going to end, but don't think you're not inside me, too. I think you might have been in there all along."

She stood up, frowning his way. "Well, now I don't want to run from you. You're supposed to be a beast."

The grin he gave her was so feral. "Oh, I'm a beast. And now I have you."

She took off again because she wasn't finished with this game. What had he said? He'd felt numb? Had she felt the same, going through her days with only the hope she'd find a place? She didn't feel numb now. She felt more alive than she'd ever been before. She raced past the main stage. If she could get to the stairs, she was sure she would find the privacy rooms.

A big arm clotheslined her, plucking her right out of the air.

"Got you," he whispered as he held her tight against his chest.

He carried her off like she weighed nothing at all. Her feet were dangling above the floor. "Nathan, let me down now."

She didn't mean it, but the play was beyond exciting. Being picked up by him, manhandled wildly, sent her into arousal like nothing she'd felt before. The night they'd spent together had been amazing but controlled. There was a wildness to him that brought it out in her.

In Saint Daisy. In Ditzy Daisy. In Daisy, the Chaosbringer.

She felt like a new version of herself.

She'd been in scenes before, but nothing like what she did with Nate. With Nate there was fantasy, exploration.

"Not on your life. I told you. You made your choice, and you'll have to live with it. This is part of living with it, Dais." He set her down in the office space. "And you owe me, sub. Do you understand the heart attack you nearly gave me? First you leave our bed…"

He was rewriting history, and she wasn't going to have it. "I didn't know it was our bed. I thought I left the space we had agreed to play in for a brief period of time."

He growled her way. It was the sexiest sound.

"Well, it wasn't like we signed a contract. You should tell the next sub you're claiming her." She knew she was being a brat, but he hadn't even spanked her yet.

The heat in his eyes let her know he was up for it. His hand came out, circling her throat. It would have been menacing coming from anyone else. From anyone else, she would worry. From him she simply allowed herself to be pinned to the wall behind her, to feel how he could circle her whole neck with one hand. She let her body react to this man who somewhere deep down she recognized as her mate.

He was right about one thing. She did know him. They weren't starting from scratch.

Were they simply following fate?

His gorgeous face loomed over her, eyes practically glowing in the dark. "I already claimed you, sub. Do you want to question my rights?"

Her nipples were so tight as his body brushed against hers. "Your rights to what, Sir?"

"My rights to your body. To every inch of you. To your mouth and your breasts. My rights to have your legs wrapped around my waist while I shove my cock into its home. Your pussy, love. I'm definitely claiming rights to that. You should know I'm going to be the one scaring off all the Doms from here on out."

"Because I'm yours." She was. She was his. Maybe she'd always been his, always would be, and this was the magical moment in her life when he was hers, too.

"Because you are fucking mine." His mouth came down on hers, and she felt devoured in the best possible way. His tongue surged inside as he released her neck in favor of pinning her between the wall and his massive, muscular body. "Say it again, Dais."

He was a greedy Dom. He wanted everything she had and wouldn't accept less.

She was supposed to fight him, but her arms found his waist and tugged at the shirt he wore. It needed to go. The need to touch him was a desperate thing. A hunger she couldn't deny.

He pulled back slightly and stared down at her. "You want the shirt?"

She nodded.

Nate took the sides of the neck of the shirt and ripped it off, the sound of fabric tearing sending a thrill through her.

It was dumb because she knew he could have easily pulled it over his head. Instead he dragged it off, and it was a useless thing. Like the shirt wasn't important because she wanted something. She wanted him naked, and he would give it to her no matter the cost.

It made it easy for her to rip open her own blouse, the buttons pinging against the floor as they scattered around the dungeon. She tossed it aside, not caring where the fuck it went.

This was their paradise, and nothing could touch them here.

And she liked this game. Nate was staring at her, and she didn't like how sure he was of himself. So she ran away again.

He caught her in moments and dragged her to the medical playroom, ripping her bra off and throwing it behind him.

"Wrap your legs around me," he ordered as he lifted her up. And up. She'd thought he was planning on taking her lips, but instead he forced her higher so he could suck a nipple into his mouth. He licked her nipple and sucked and then gave her a nip that had her writhing against him before switching to the other breast and torturing it, too.

He let her slide down his body, setting her on her feet. "No more running, Dais."

But she was feeling every bit as savage as he'd claimed to be. "You want me, Nate. Earn me."

She took off again, but he was on her in a second, dragging her to the ground. He pinned her to the floor.

"I'll teach you not to run from me, sub." One hand stayed holding her to the ground while the other ran up her leg, under her skirt. He cupped her ass, giving her a squeeze. "But first, I'm going to make sure you're with me."

"Of course I'm with you." Where did he think she was?

Then she understood because his hand slipped between her legs and under the edge of her panties, one big finger sliding easily over her pussy. A low groan came from his chest. "That's what I want. I want you hot and wet and fucking ready."

She was. The need for sex was driving her. The need for him. "I'm ready. I'm so ready, Nate."

"And yet, you still have a lesson to learn." His voice had gone deliciously dominant as the hand that had softly stroked her withdrew, and she felt cool air on her legs as he shoved the skirt over her waist, exposing her. "These are going to have to go."

He dragged the underwear down, but only to trap her thighs, holding her legs closed as he forced her ass into the air.

There was no question what was about to happen and yet when his big hand came down on her cheeks, she couldn't help but shout out as the pain exploded against her aroused skin, heightening the sensation and giving it depth. She was bent over and contorted as he maneuvered her into the position he wanted, over one knee, his big leg acting like a brace, folding her in two as he slapped her ass without mercy.

She held on to his ankle, letting every smack flow over her, driving her higher and higher to a place she hadn't thought she would be. A place she'd wanted to hide from him.

The physical pain shoved against the events of the day and suddenly she was crying.

She hadn't realized how much she'd bottled up, how much she'd shoved down over the last several days. Weeks. Months. She'd been so fucking alone.

The sobs began, and then she was lifted up into the air. Nate managed to get her skirt and underwear off and cradled her naked body against his chest. She felt warm and safe, and it was okay to cry with him. He wanted her emotions. He wasn't going to tell her she had fucking crazy eyes and she should see a therapist.

He'd wanted her here because he wanted to share the burden of what she'd been through.

Nate carried her through the dungeon, carried her up the stairs. She barely recognized they were moving, she held on to him so tightly.

She'd lost another job, been the one who worried her parents, who couldn't do a simple fucking task, and now she might lose her family over the only good thing that had happened to her in forever. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fucking fair.

Nate kicked open the first door, and she found herself in a large, luxurious bedroom. She barely saw anything as Nate strode to the massive bed. She thought he'd toss her on it, but he wrapped his arms tight around her and sat down, maneuvering her so she was straddling him.

"Tell me," he commanded, his hand tangling in her hair.

She shook her head. "Later. Not now, Nate."

"Then take what you want, sub. Take what you need."

She knew what she wanted. To drown in him. Her ass ached as she slid off his lap, fitting herself between his legs. He hissed above her as she worked the fly of his jeans, easing the zipper down.

"Damn, me," he said as she pulled at the waistband of his boxers and freed his cock.

This was what she needed. He'd given her the emotional release she'd required to be open to him. Now she could show him she was exactly the storm he wanted.

She stared at his gorgeous cock, wrapped her hand around it, and felt his groan in her pussy. She was probably the biggest mess. She was sure her mascara was everywhere, and he was still looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Daisy stroked his cock, watching as a pearly bead pulsed from the head.

"You're killing me," he whispered. His hand came out to smooth her hair back. "And I'll die happy."

She lowered her head, giving him a lick. They hadn't gotten to this part the first time. He'd been too into tying her up and torturing her. It was time for some sweet payback. She kept her eyes on him as she sucked his cockhead past her lips.

Nate's chest hitched, his head falling forward and then back as he gave over to her.

He tasted so perfect. Salty and masculine, the scent of his arousal filling her senses. She took him deeper, rolling her tongue over his dick. He filled her mouth like he filled her pussy—to overflowing. He was almost too much .

Like she was.

Too much might be just enough to build something real.

"That's right. Fuck, you feel so good, baby," he said, his eyes on her, watching where his cock disappeared into her mouth.

She ran her tongue over and around him, fighting to take as much as she could.

"Daisy, I don't want to come in your mouth. Please, love. I want to look in your eyes this time," he said, his hands on her hair, but he didn't force the issue, merely gave her the choice.

She went back on her knees and watched as he managed to shove his jeans down. There were condoms on the nightstand and she picked one up, a solemn feeling spreading through her because while it had started out as a hot game, she felt so connected to this man. His pull drew her in, and she couldn't help it. A moth to his flame. It didn't matter if she burned. Her path was set.

She eased the condom on and then straddled him again, not even giving him a chance to kick his pants off. He didn't need to. Nathan Carter was right where she wanted him.

"Daisy," he began.

She shook her head and lowered her lips to his even as she felt his cock at her pussy. Pure pleasure threatened to drown her as she slid onto his cock. Her tongue tangled with his, arms wrapping around each other until she wasn't sure where she ended and he began. She tilted her hips, taking him inside. She loved how fucking big he was, stretching her, but she could handle him.

She worked her way down his cock in little passes until she finally had the whole of him filling her up.

"Fuck. You feel so good, and it's not just about how perfect you fit me." Nate's hands gripped her hips.

It was more than sex. It scared her but maybe that was a good thing.

She started to move, her eyes held by his as he shifted with her. She found the perfect spot and worked his cock over and over until she couldn't stand it a second more and then held herself tight against him, riding the wave of her orgasm. The second she was limp against him, he rolled them over on the bed, bringing his weight down on her.

She loved the way he pressed her into the mattress, adored how he didn't pretend she was fragile and he was worried he would break her. He simply took her because she was his and he was hers and this was natural.

She wrapped her legs around him, watching his gorgeous face as he thrust in over and over. Then he stiffened, and his eyes were on her as he went over the edge.

Pure satisfaction filled her soul as Nate fell to the bed beside her, and for a moment, everything felt right with Daisy's world.

* * * *

Nate stretched on the big bed and watched as Daisy walked out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel and an oversized robe around her body. He'd taken a shower with her, slowly making love to her again. He'd pressed her against the tile and filled her with him.

Fuck, she was beautiful. And he'd meant what he'd said. She was his. Oh, he was absolutely certain she was thinking this was all play, but it wasn't. If this was a game, it was the most important one of his life, and he intended to win.

"You don't need the robe."

A brow arched over her emerald eyes. "What if I'm cold?"

He pulled the covers down. "Then I'll keep you warm. I've been told I'm a furnace. It's sad for you, but you'll get used to it."

She wrinkled her nose, an expression he was learning meant she was going along with something but she wasn't totally sold on an idea. The robe came off, and she crawled into bed with him. "What do you think that's about?"

He glanced over and frowned. How the hell had he missed the floor-to-ceiling, velvet painted rock-star portrait? Well, his mind had been full of her, but it was a detail he was certain would have registered at any other time. "Someone really likes old music. I'm not sure. He looks familiar, but in a classic rock way. Though I'm not supposed to call it classic rock because my father then does some math and bemoans his age."

Daisy sat next to him, her back against the headboard. He noticed she didn't pull the covers up, preferring to leave her gorgeous body on display. Yeah, that was why the blond dude in the bandana hadn't made an impression. "I have never actually been in the club part of this building. There's a daycare in the building next door. I spent a lot of time there, but I never came in here. I finally get why Uncle Ian calls The Hideout a dump. We don't have anything like this. It kind of makes me wonder how much all this cost. Da complains about the price of raspberries. I wonder how much the obviously custom-built spanking bench cost. I bet it's a lot of raspberries."

"Well, from what I understand, this place started out a lot like The Hideout." He shifted so he was facing her. So it was easy to lean over and brush his lips against her shoulder.

Her family had put a wall up between them, and he had to find a way to break it down. He'd been certain crying would help shake those walls, but he worried she'd rebuilt them.

"Well, it's beautiful now. I suppose that's what matters," she said. "It's just weird to be here. Like something forbidden."

"I've been to this club, though I don't remember it."

She looked his way finally, curiosity in her green eyes. "I didn't know you spent much time in Dallas. I mean I know you came to visit over the years, but we mostly visited you."

He'd been told the story, though it wasn't one he shared often. It felt right to share it with her. He eased down so he could lay his head on her lap, feel her soft skin against his cheek. "My mum got into a spot of trouble. A bit like you have. She was trying to help someone and it caught the attention of some very bad blokes. I was only a few months old. Mum went on the run and came to the place where she felt safest."

Her hand came to his head, fingers starting to play in his hair as though she couldn't stop herself from touching him. "She went to my mom."

"She did," Nate replied. "She came to Dallas looking for help, and a day or two later my father showed up. He was standing in the daycare room at the McKay-Taggart building when he found out I existed."

"Really?" The hand on his head moved in soothing strokes. "He didn't know? He wasn't there when you were born?"

He felt like a big tiger being utterly tamed by a kitten. "Nope. He'd been a dumb arse who decided he wasn't good enough for my mum, and so they had a one-night stand and he left. She tried to contact him, but he wouldn't take her calls," Nate explained. "So, yeah, he wasn't there when I was born. He didn't know I existed until he walked into the McKay-Taggart building and I was in the daycare. Adam Miles still complains about his back because my tough old dad fainted dead away at the sight of me."

A chuckle came from her. "Oh, now I understand what Uncle Adam means when he says Australia fell on him. I always thought it was some weird metaphor. So let me guess. They decided to stash your mom here."

"Bingo."

She leaned over, looking down into his eyes. "Did they fall in love all over again right here?"

"I don't think so. I don't think it was easy. My mum… You know her hi story, right?"

Daisy's expression fell. "Yes. I know. I know your mom was in an accident with mine when they were young, and that's how my sister died along with Mom's first husband."

"And your mum found a way to forgive her and saved her life. I'm here today because of Avery O'Donnell's boundless love. But her love couldn't fix my mum's guilt. It took something else to do that. She was ready to reject my father's love because she didn't think she was worthy of it. She was ready to let me go live with him. And then your da got stung by a bee."

At the mention of her father, her hand retreated, and she went slightly stiff. "My da is very allergic to bees. Everyone jokes with him, but Mom saw it once and still shudders when she thinks about it."

He was glad she didn't remember that day. "My mom saved him, and what she realized was she wouldn't have been there to save him if she hadn't been on the road that night. She wouldn't have learned what she needed to know, wouldn't have had the skills to save him. Daisy, do you know why I'm telling you this?"

She shook her head.

He sat up. This was a conversation where they had to be face to face. "Because I'm not my dad. I need you to understand I don't question fate. I don't sit around and wonder if I'm good enough. I will make myself good enough for you."

"Nate," she began.

"No, don't Nate me. I told you. You made your choice. If I thought for a second you pulling away from me had anything to do with your heart, I would step back. But this isn't about your heart. You were perfectly happy before your father made an arse of himself. This is about you being worried he's going to see you differently. He will, and it's about bloody time, Dais."

She sniffled. "You don't understand."

His heart ached, but he wasn't going to let her continue down this road. "Don't understand what? Being the kid in the family who doesn't seem to have some awesome destiny? Who isn't clearly talented? I do understand that. Since the day Elodie started to dance, I knew she was more talented, more driven than me, and therefore had a whole lot of our parents' attention. That's what it's like to be the sibling who isn't gifted."

"I don't resent my brother," she replied quietly. "Not even after what I learned today. I'm happy for him."

He believed her. "And I'm thrilled for my sister. I love watching her dance. She's happy and she makes other people happy. They have their path, and we have ours."

"Ours is apparently getting stuck in this club."

He shrugged. "Maybe that's fate, too. Maybe it wouldn't work if you had too much time to think. If there was space between us, your father might decide I'm not worthy of his sweet daughter and he would get a chance to convince you. But that's not what happened, and we're here for a while. I meant what I said. I'm not leaving you. If you're stuck here, then so am I. If it gets to be too much, we can go to Australia. My parents' station hasn't sold yet. We can stay there for a bit and then move to The Garden. Traveling might be good for us."

Daisy sighed. "Somehow I don't see Uncle Ian paying you to go on vacation with me."

"I think you'll find everyone wants you safe. They might fight me on travel, but it's a fight I can win. If for some crazy reason he fires me, well, I've got a bit of cash saved. I can take care of us until you're safe. I'll find another job, and we'll figure out where we want to be."

Tears filled her eyes. "You are too good to be true."

"I assure you, love, I'm not."

"I want to believe you," Daisy whispered. "I want to believe in this. You don't even understand how weird this is for me."

"I do," he argued. He knew her better than she thought he did. "You're the girl who throws herself into everything. When you decide to do something, you give it one hundred percent of yourself. You take it with both hands and try everything you can to make it work."

"Nothing works, Nate."

She'd had the roughest of days, and he needed to find a way to bring back her natural resiliency. "Sure it does. You have friends who adore you, a family who does everything they can to protect you."

"Yeah, up to and including ruining any chance I had at finding a boyfriend."

He was upset for her about what her father had done, but he rather thought it had proved a point. "Baby, if a man is too afraid to date you because your father and brother threaten him, he doesn't want you enough. I need you to understand absolutely no one in this world can keep me away from you except you. If you don't want me, I'll walk away, but you're the only one who can make me. There's no threat, no incentive, nothing can control me with the exception of you."

"How can you know you want me?"

"Do you want me?"

Tears dripped from her eyes. "So much it hurts."

He pulled her close. "And how can you know?"

"Because I always have," she whispered. "Because I knew what I was doing when I put on Kenzie's mask. I was going to steal a night from you."

He chuckled, a warm feeling invading his bones. This was so much more than lust. This was the reason his dad lit up when his mum walked in a room. He couldn't imagine the demons his father must have fought, the ones that made him walk away from this feeling. He wasn't making the same mistake. He cuddled her against his chest. "Sorry, love. Your plan is not going to work out."

She seemed to give in, relaxing against him. "You better be sure, Carter, because you're right. When I'm in, I'm in. And when the whole stupid assassins are after me thing is over, I'm going to find a job I love and you can move into my house and… I still don't know what to do about my da."

"Your da is being an idiot." Of this he had zero worries. Liam O'Donnell was scared of losing his daughter. He would figure this out. "And he'll come around. He's a smart man. Your mum is already cool with this."

"My mum loves you," she said quietly.

"I know it doesn't seem like it, but your da does, too. Liam has been a solid figure in my life since I was a baby. His world is getting rocked right now, but he'll see this is for the best in the end." He breathed her in. There was such peace here. Daisy was a storm, but like a storm she was necessary, and the world felt fresh and new. "I promise you, this won't last. He adores you, but change is hard. Aidan's already on board. There's no way your father doesn't see this relationship is good for both of us. Until then, we should enjoy being alone. How many new couples get this kind of time together?"

She turned her head up, her lips curling in a sexy smile. "So what you're saying is me getting on an assassin's hit list is actually a good thing."

His girl could turn a frown upside down. "My dick thinks so."

That smile turned brilliant. "So you're all in?"

In the end it was the easiest decision he'd ever made. "I'm all in, love."

"And you're okay with what it means for me to be all in."

Oh, she could bring it on. Being with Daisy would mean danger at every corner. Or at least mischief. But then he'd complained about life being boring. "I told you. I love your winds, Typhoon. I guess I should call you a hurricane since I'm here now."

She sat up, throwing a leg over his waist and sliding her core right over his cock. "Then you should know, I have some making up to do. Saint Daisy needs to get a little dirty, baby."

He held on as the storm started all over again.